At one time considered the
earliest dinosaur to ever live, Herrerasaurus, or "Herrera's lizard" was
named for a rancher in Argentina, where the dinosaur's fossils were first
discovered. Although rather small in comparison to its later relatives
like T. rex, at ten feet in length, Herrerasaurus was plenty big for its
time and was a dominant carnivore. It was also the first to evolve many
important adaptations which predatory dinos continued to possess for millions
of years.

About 10 feet long from snout
to tail, Herrerasaurus runs on its hind legs and is fast enough to run
down fleeing prey. Its arms are about half the length of its legs, and
are each tipped by three sharp claws for grasping and tearing flesh. Herrerasaurus'
sharp teeth are curved towards the back of its mouth to prevent prey from
wriggling free. It even has a flexible hinged joint in its lower jaw to
let it wrap its mouth around the struggling reptiles it eats.

Catching its prey with raw
speed is not the only way that Herrerasaurus likes to hunt. Its rough
textured skin is colored to help it blend into the thick vegetation surrounding
lakes and rivers. Using this camouflage, Herrerasaurus can conserve precious
energy and ambush prey that walk by.

Herrerasaurus is equally
at home in near-desert environments. Hunting with a partner or two in
rocky areas, Herrerasaurus snaps up small reptiles flushed from hiding
by the group. The penultimate predator of its time, Herrerasaurus was
ready and equipped to eat almost any of its contemporaries. Your zoo staff
should not have a hard time finding things to feed this least-picky of
predators.